Insight
by Trevor the Enchanter
Summary: Before Danny, Sam, and Tucker, there was Jack, Maddie, and Vlad. They were once the closest of friends. How did this friendship develop and how did it break apart?
1. New connections

Okay, these are basically just drabbles that explore Vlad's childhood and upbringing, including his relationship with Jack and Maddie.

X X X X X X X X X X

Vlad hated school. He hated his classmates. All he wanted to do was go home! He didn't have any friends, and people were mean to him. 5 year old Vlad Masters didn't understood what he did to make people hate him to much. It made him want to cry.

He was excited for his first day of Kindergarten. Before that, he had almost never left the house. Vlad tried many times to go out and play like he watched other kids do, but whenever he tried, his mom dragged him in and slapped him. "I don't want you going out there, Vladimir!" she screamed to him. "If I catch you trying to go outside again, you're going to be in huge trouble!" He didn't understand why she did this, but knew he would be in trouble, so he obeyed most of the time.

He played with his toys, which kept him happy much of the time and he talked to the maids, who were always friendly to him. Of course, he kept his room as neat as he could; Vlad didn't want his parents to be angry with him. When he didn't, they got really angry, which made him cry, which made his Daddy even more angry with him.

So all in all, he was excited for the first day of school. He impressed the teacher by being able to tell what time it was on the clock, which amazed her. He introduced himself, along with everyone else, and attempted to be friends with the other kids, but none of them seemed to like him. They called him names and even shoved him when the teacher wasn't looking. Vlad immediately accused him, and the boy denied it, continuing to call him a liar. The teacher saw through it and sent him to time-out, which made him madder than ever.

While most of his classmates were messing around on the swings or playing on the monkey bars, Vlad kept to himself. He tried to join them, but they just shoved him away. The boy that shoved him earlier went after him again, forcing him to run away.

Therefore, Vlad found himself away from the others, tears running down his face. He didn't know where he was; he just wanted to be away from everyone. Why did he ever want to go to school?

"Hi." Vlad heard a voice behind him. A girl about his age was sitting on the grass. She was wearing a blue shirt and red shirt, with blue eyes and pigtails. "How are you?"

"You like me?" Vlad asked in surprise. He thought everyone hated him.

"Yep! What's your name?" she asked.

"Um… I'm Vlad." He responded.

"I'm Maddie; want to be friends?" she smiled.

"Sure. What are you doing?"

"I'm reading. The other girls hate me. They think I have cooties."

"Me too; he shoved me for no reason, and I'm hiding. Promise not to tell?"

"I promise. You were able to tell what time it is? That's cool!"

"You… don't think I'm a loser?"

"Nope, I like it. I wish I knew how to tell time."

"It's easy. Carrie taught me."

"Carrie?"

"Someone that works for my Daddy. She does the chores when Mommy and Daddy aren't telling me to do them." After that, Vlad and Maddie got along well. He helped her sound out a couple of the words in her book that she was having trouble with.

"Hey, loser, what are you doing with her?" the kid came back. For the life of him, Vlad couldn't remember his name.

"She's my friend!" Vlad protested, afraid but doing his best to conceal it.

"Why would anyone want to be friends with a loser?" He replied, giving a immature version of a sneer.

"He's not a loser!" Maddie spoke out.

"No one asked you!" he responded, pushing her onto the ground.

"Hey, you can't hit a girl!" Vlad exclaimed, trying to shove him onto the ground. Unfortunately for him, his tormentor was a lot bigger than he was and didn't budge much. He pushed back and they began wrestling on the ground. Vlad was angry, not only for how he was treated, but that he shoved his friend! Despite that, though, he was clearly getting the worst of it until a teacher on duty saw what was going on and broke it up.

"That's enough, both of you!" He told them sharply. "Now who started it?"

"He did!" Both of them said, pointing fingers at the other.

"He did." Maddie told him. "He come over and call Vlad a loser. I said he was my friend and he shoved me." After asking them a few more questions, he took the other kid to the office, who was looking teary but still glaring at Vlad and Maddie.

"Thanks for being my friend." Vlad told Maddie.

"You're welcome." Maddie replied. They heard the bell ring and walked back to class. Vlad knew his classmate would only hate him more and make his life worse, but now that he had a friend, it didn't seem to matter so much.

X X X X X X X X X X

This was just an idea I had floating around my head for while. I hope I managed to get their relative vocabulary right. It's not easy writing 5-year-olds. I find the relationship between the trio fascinating. Hopefully, the next glimpse will be a little longer, and yes, you will see Jack.


	2. Trio Complete

1975:

8 Year-old Vlad smiled as he finished the last of his times tables. He didn't really understand why others found it so difficult. They had several contests to where you could win points for getting the most answers correctly. So far, he was comfortably in the lead.

He looked over at Maddie. They had been friends for 3 years and he enjoyed being around her, even if she was a girl. True, he always seemed to be made fun of, but she stood up for them. After she punched one of them in the nose, they rarely tried anything physical again.

He looked over and smiled at Maddie, who smiled back. She hadn't finished just yet, since she had more trouble with it. Finally, however, she did and turned it in. After another 15 minutes, they were let out of school, free to go home for the day.

"So what are you going to do?" Vlad asked.

"I don't know; what are you going to do?" Maddie wondered.

"We could go to the park and swing if you want." Vlad suggested.

"Ok." Maddie beamed. She always loved playing on the swingset, always wanting to see how high she could get. Sometimes he wondered if she was going to swing completely over. They sometimes tried to throw the swing over the top so they could climb higher.

She was about to climb onto one of the swings when she saw Vlad on the other side. "What are you doing over there?"

"Those swings are for wimps!" Vlad responded. Not wanting to disappoint her friend, she went to the other swings, although they made her a bit nervous. She climbed on and started pushing herself, weakly at first, then with more force as she gained confidence. Vlad pushed himself hard, trying to get as high as she did.

They stayed there swinging for an unknown amount of time until both of them jumped at the same time, Maddie managing to land a bit farther than Vlad. She always seemed to manage to do that. He smiled and walked over to her. "You're it!" Vlad laughed, slapping her shoulder and running off, Maddie hot in pursuit.

Maddie enjoyed playing tag, but the girls didn't want to play and the boys didn't want a girl to play with them. Sure, she liked playing with dolls, but she enjoyed other stuff as well. She moved towards Vlad with all the speed she could muster, trying to catch him.

Vlad smirked, running in circles. Maddie turned around, trying to catch him, but wasn't able to keep her balance and fell. He was momentarily concerned that she was hurt, but she immediately got up and ran after him again. Vlad was quite used to running. He ran away from the bullies who wanted to hurt him, and to groups of girls who chased after him. He never understood why the girls did so; he never did anything to them! Vlad wanted to hit them, but he knew how much trouble he would get into. "Don't you ever, ever hit a girl, Vladimir Masters!" He remembered his dad screaming at him. He hated people using his full name.

Before he knew it, though, he felt a tug on his shirt. "You're it, Vlad!" Maddie laughed.

"No, I'm not!" Vlad complained. "Clothes don't count!"

"I touched you!" Maddie stated.

"No, you didn't!" Vlad protested.

"Yes, I did!" (Believe me; this kind of thing can go on forever with kids)

"Fine, then you are it!" Vlad tagged her back and ran off.

"Hey, you're supposed to count to 10!" Vlad chased after her just as she did him. Bit by bit, he came close. He was about to touch the back of her neck when he was knocked to the ground. Vlad was in pain and did his best to refrain from tears.

"Ha, ha, you can't catch me!" Maddie teased. She turned around and saw Vlad on the ground.

As for Vlad, he was looking up at someone considerably bigger than he was. He was 4 inches taller at least and much bulkier. "Wow, sorry!" He declared. "I didn't see you! Are you all right?" He offered his hand. "Hey, you're that Vlad kid!"

"Yes, that's me." Vlad pulled himself to his feet. He had a bad feeling about this. Was this another bully he was going to have to deal with? The whole "ignoring their teasing" bit didn't seem to be working.

"I'm Jack; nice to meet you!" Jack exclaimed. He was holding a football in his hand. His dad was walking over to them.

"Are you all right, son?" His father asked. He was dressed in a grey t-shirt and jeans. He didn't know the kid's name, but considering how fast Jack ran into him, he was amazed that he wasn't crying. Most kids his age who were hit that hard would.

"I'm fine." Vlad replied, beginning to get annoyed.

"Hi! How are you?" Maddie asked.

"I'm Jack." Jack responded. "This is my dad. Sorry about that. It's been a long time since we were able to play catch."

"I'm Maddie." She informed.

"I'm Vlad." Vlad added, the throbbing in his body beginning to subside.

"Do you two go to school with him?" His dad asked.

"I guess so." Vlad admitted. "I never really noticed him." He didn't even know his name. They weren't friends, but Jack at least never made fun of him.

"So you guys want to be friends?" Jack asked. For a fat kid, he had a lot of energy.

"Sure, why not?" Vlad replied.

"Cool, we can play catch while Maddie can watch!" Jack exclaimed.

"Hey, I wanna play!" Maddie whined.

"Jack, if she wants to play, let her play." His dad told him. He leaned down close to his son. "Try to go easy on them, ok? Vlad doesn't look too athletic."

"Fine, I'll let her play, even if she is a girl." Jack pouted. He threw the ball to Vlad who fumbled it. Vlad tried throwing it back, but it went off course.

"Hold on, Jack." His dad summoned Maddie and Vlad forth, holding the football in his hand. He spent the next couple of minutes explaining how to properly throw it. Jack was wandering off into space, impatient and wanting to get back to the game. The fact that neither of them knew how to throw a football didn't cross his mind.

After that, both of them got a little better at it, although neither could throw it with the kind of skill Jack possessed. He primarily threw it to Vlad, only sending it towards Maddie when his dad reminded him that she was playing as well.

Vlad mainly threw to Maddie, since he knew her better than Jack, but eventually, he started warming up to the larger boy. They played for an indeterminate amount of time when they decided to go home. They got into his car, and he listened to where they said they lived.

"So why does your dad walk with a stick?" Vlad asked Jack.

"He said he got it in the war?" Jack responded.

"What war?" Vlad wondered.

"Some place called Vietnam; he didn't tell me much." Jack shrugged. They stopped at Maddie's place first. Her older sister Alicia answered the door and let her in. She was about 13 and dressed in a light blue dress. Jack and Vlad were too young to notice the look in her eyes.

They got to Vlad's house; it was one of the largest in Springwood, so it was very hard to miss. "Wait a minute; you're related to the Masters?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm their son." Vlad replied. His parents were in charge of the local coal mine and a bus company in the next town.

They walked out of the car and knocked on the door. His father answered, glaring down at Vlad. "Where have you been, Vlad?" He snapped. "We told you to come home directly after school!"

"I'm afraid that's my fault, Mr. Masters." Jack's dad told him. "Vlad here was playing with my son and we kind of lost track of time. I take full responsibility."

As they continued to talk, Vlad got a sinking feeling. He knew what could happen if his daddy got mad enough. He had only used it once, but ever since, he was afraid of having him use it again. He just enjoyed being around Maddie. She listened to him; she didn't yell at him if he cried. Vlad tried to hold it back, but sometimes it just happened.

"Okay, Vlad, get in here." His father demanded. Vlad walked in, feeling sick to his stomach. "I'll let you off this once, but don't do anything like this again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," Vlad nodded, feeling slowly coming back to his legs. He walked up to his room and began to draw. He lacked skill, but not enthusiasm. He grabbed his crayons and began to draw pictures of himself, Maddie, and his new friend, Jack.

X X X X X X X X X X

Okay, this one is a bit longer. I've got several of these floating around in my head at the moment. Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. Soldier Field

1979:

"Dude, you've been working on that report for over an hour!" 12-year-old Jack protested. "It's time to take a break from it! Besides, we're about ready to go."

"Just be grateful my parents allowed you to do this at all." 13 year old Vlad replied. He wasn't especially interested in the Packers, but he did enjoy being around his friends. _Just wish I knew what was up with Maddie; she's been real weird for a long time. _He thought. His birthday was just a couple of weeks ago.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the Packers play in person, V-man!" Jack laughed. "It's totally awesome that my dad was able to get these tickets. What are you writing your report about anyway?"

"You remember all those murders that took place in Springwood about 6 years ago?" Vlad asked his friend.

"Yeah, I remember my dad being real frightened about it." Jack responded. "I've asked him about it a couple times, but he doesn't really want to talk about it."

"Well, this guy killed about 20 kids before they finally caught him." Vlad explained. He seemed to have a bit of a fascination with dark things. "However, he was freed for some dumb reason and disappeared shortly after that. I've asked people about him for my report, but nobody gives me any answers!" It was even more than that. His teacher attempted to get him to choose a different topic, but Vlad stayed adamant.

"Scary; I don't get what you're into this kind of thing, V-man." Jack shook his head. "You always seem to be weird. Oh, well, just wait until you see the packers play!"

"Jack, Vlad, it's time to go!" Jack's father called them from the living room.

"Yes; really looking forward to this!" Jack beamed, dragging out a bag that was nearly as big as he was. "Let's see; giant foam finger, drink cup, spare clothes, spare money…"

"I thought your dad was paying for all this." Vlad wondered. He had 40 dollars in his pocket that his parents insisted on giving him. He found it odd that they didn't seem to mind screaming at him whenever he did something wrong, even hit him at times, but they were still overprotective.

"He is, but I got a few bucks for moving Ms. Thompson's yard the other day!" Jack exclaimed. "You should have seen the look on my dad's face. He gave me some extra money and said he was proud of me for earning my own keep!" Vlad had to admit, he envied that. His parents only rarely said they were proud of him, which is why he preferred being at Jack's house and went there whenever he could. He used to go to Maddie's house as well, but she never let him inside anymore. _And her older sister… she's just creepy. _Vlad thought.

"Isn't she an alcoholic?" Vlad wondered. That was what he heard his parents say, anyway. Her husband worked for the police, and they had a daughter, although he couldn't remember her name off the top of his head.

"I don't know." Jack admitted. "Even if she is, who cares? She gave me 5 bucks!"

They walked out of Jack's room, which was decorated with Packers memorabilia, including a poster of Don Hutson. Vlad had no idea who he was, but from the sounds of it, a great player in the history of the packers. They climbed into the back of the car and drove off. It didn't take long for Vlad to keep looking at his history report, although it was nearly impossible to write in a moving car for him.

"Jeez, Vladdie, you're still looking at that dumb report?" Jack asked. "Don't worry about it! You'll do great!"

"Yeah, but I ended up forgetting my report last time and got a zero." Vlad explained. "I don't want that happening again."

"Hey, Vlad, I spy with my little eye… something red." Jack smiled.

"The inside of the car?" Vlad sarcastically asked. Really, Jack had never been any good at that game.

"Just keep your seat belts on, ok?" Jack's father informed them. "The way it's going, it's going to be the law soon. Besides, remember what happened to old man McGregor."

"Yes, Dad/Mr. Fenton." Jack and Vlad groaned. Both of them rarely forgot to wear seat belts since they were installed, but he gave the same lecture to them every time they were in the car.

"Hey, Jack, earlier I heard my dad talking about a cell phone." Vlad informed him.

"What's a cell phone?" Jack asked.

"It's supposed to be a phone you carry around but without a cord." Vlad responded. "He was talking about them when we went to Japan last year."

"What was it like over there?" Jack wondered.

"Really crowded," Vlad admitted. He wasn't used to so many people around at once and it frightened him. He stayed close to his parents, not wanting to get lost.

"That sounds cool to have!" Jack exclaimed. "Hey, dad, can we get a cell phone?"

"Son, I didn't know what a cell phone was until your friend mentioned them." His dad replied. "Besides, we've got a perfectly good phone at home."

"And I think it just works in Tokyo or something." Vlad added.

The rest of the drive continued uneventfully. After a couple of hours, Jack and Vlad were feeling hungry and thirsty, so they decided to stop and get something for lunch. Except for occasional outings with Jack, Vlad had never been inside a fast food building. They always went to much fancier places; he grew up with that, so he was used to it, but all the same, it wasn't an especially pleasant experience for him.

All three of them order a burger, fries, and coke. The minute their food was ready, Vlad immediately turned his head to the side. He had seen Jack eat before, and the sight of it made him sick. He wasn't going to make the mistake of looking at it again.

"Jack, how many times do I have to tell you: please chew with your mouth closed," Mr. Fenton told him. He handed his son a napkin.

Vlad munched on his own food, eating more slowly than his larger friend. The food may have been cheap, but it still tasted good to him. He cautiously looked over towards Jack, ready to avert his face instantly if it looked like he was still eating, but no, he seemed to have mostly finished, although ketchup was still smeared over his face.

"So boys, what's with Maddie?" Mr. Fenton asked. "I haven't seen her hanging around you lately."

"We don't know." Vlad admitted. "She doesn't seem to spend a lot of time with us anymore." Over the past couple of years, he had gotten closer to Jack but more distant from Maddie. He tried to figure out why she was acting like this, but made no leeway.

"She still hangs around with us once in a while, but… she's changed." Jack sighed. "Whenever someone used to make fun, she'd fight back, sometimes even hit them. Now… she doesn't say anything. Bullies in that school seem to like making fun of her."

"Bullying can get to you at times." Mr. Fenton admitted. "Sounds pretty vicious, so maybe it's gotten to her; Look, son, if you want to get a bully to leave you alone, just punch him in the face. I know the school say to just ignore them and it'll stop. They also say 'sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me' but that's a load of crud. Don't use it as a first resort, but if there's no other way, do it. Just never, ever tell the school I gave you that advice."

"I won't, Dad." Jack laughed. "Besides, they never seem to bother me very much. It's Vlad they like to go after."

"Yeah, he's too big for them." Vlad appreciated the fact that Jack protected him, but at times, he also resented it. Why wasn't he able to protect himself? Why was he weak? _I won't be weak forever. _Vlad promised. _One day, they will regret their actions. I will make sure of it._

"Don't worry, V-man; I can kick their asses!" Jack laughed, putting an arm around Vlad's shoulders.

"Jack, watch your language." Mr. Fenton reprimanded.

After they were done eating, they drove the rest of the way to Soldier Field in Indiana. (Not sure if this is accurate, but please bear with me) They waited close to an hour in line to get to their seats. Mr. Fenton handed them the money and got the three tickets.

"Wow, this place is big." Vlad observed, looking all around him. It was difficult to see the field where they were and they players looked like glimpses to him.

"You bet it is, Vladdie!" Jack exclaimed, taking out his giant foam finger. His father was off getting various refreshments for himself and the duo. "Tons and tons of people come here to watch the great game of football! The Packers are going to kick the Bears' butts!"

"Couldn't we have just watched it on TV?" Vlad wondered.

"Come on, Vlad, there's nothing like being here in person!" Jack laughed. His father returned with the snacks, holding both boys a bag of popcorn. "First game of the season!"

_We can't even see them from here! _Vlad complained. _Wait, what do I care? I don't like football anyway! _Jack took out a pair of binoculars and smiled, cheering whenever it seemed like the Packers are going to score. Vlad just sighed, eating his popcorn. He couldn't see anything that was going on, at least not very well.

"Come on, how could you screw that up!" He heard Jack yell. "You had the opportunity to get a touchdown!"

"What was it?" Vlad wondered, more out of something to say than real curiosity.

"Oh, he just got tackled; can't believe he didn't make it!" Jack complained. (sorry, I don't know who the Quarterback was at the time)

"Mind if I use those?" Vlad asked, holding out his hands.

"Sure, buddy." Jack handed the binoculars over. He was kind of disappointed, but his friends deserved to watch the game too.

Now that Vlad was actually able to see something, he started to get more interested in the game. He didn't stand up and cheer or boo as Jack and his father had, but he was rapidly developing an interest. He hadn't grown up around sports, so they were difficult to understand for him, though Mr. Fenton was happy to answer any questions he had.

Ultimately, the packers lost the game 6-3. Jack was disappointed, but soon regained his boisterous spirit. "Well, that was fun!" Jack laughed. "Thanks for coming along, Vladdie!"

"You're welcome, Jack." Vlad responded. It was now almost completely dark outside as they walked to the car. They got into, buckled their seat belts, and drove out of the parking lot. However, it was not a quick getaway as thousands of others were trying to do the same thing they were.

As they drove home in the dark, Vlad grinned and looked at his friend. "He's coming for you, Jack." Vlad grinned.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Oh, a rhyme I've heard girls say before." Vlad responded. "Supposedly, if you sing it, the ghost will appear and kill you."

"Please, V-man, ghosts don't exist." Jack chuckled.

"Are you sure?" Vlad grinned. "You just better not say the rhyme or you might disappear."

"Come on, I'm not a kid anymore." Jack dismissed. "You can't scare me with a ghost story."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Vlad shrugged.

"No problem, V-man." Jack laughed, throwing a punch at Vlad. To Jack, it was a friendly tap; to Vlad, it was bordering on assault. He was always much stronger than Vlad.

Both of them began to fall asleep, exhausted but happy.

X X X X X X X X X X

For the purposes of this chapter, I looked up the 1979 season of the Green Bay Packers. Any mistakes I made about the first game of the season are purely my own. For the record, Vlad's birthday is August 14.


	4. Shattered Soul

Before I start writing this, I should warn you: this is a very dark chapter with heavy themes of abuse. If that's not your thing… well, you'll have to wait for the next chapter.

X X X X X X X X X X

Jack looked at everyone around him as they stood there, not knowing what to do or what to say. They were feeling extremely guilty, as they had been for the past few months, ever since they discovered it. _Why didn't we figure it out before? _Jack agonized. It was obvious in retrospect. _The signs were there, the behavior was there. I thought I'd be smart enough to figure it out, but I guess I was wrong. _

Ordinarily, waiting for so long meant they would have been bored out of their mind, but under the circumstances, they were just afraid. Jack paced around nervously, driving Vlad crazy, but he couldn't bring himself to scream at him. He wasn't in any better shape, after all.

"So what do you think's going on happen?" Jack wondered. "Do you think they'll be convicted?"

"I really hope so." Vlad admitted. "This is my fault."

"Don't ever say it's your fault, V-man." Jack snapped at him. "You didn't do anything! They are the ones responsible!" He put a hand on Vlad's shoulder, trying to give him some support. Both of them testified in court about what they saw, what had happened.

"They better get what they deserve." Vlad snarled.

"Oh, I don't think there will be any doubt of that," Mr. Masters replied. He was a man of around 50 with white hair and brown eyes. He and his wife were there to provide moral support to the trio. This truly surprised Vlad, since they rarely did anything for him, much less his friends. "How are you holding up, son?"

"How do you think I am?" Vlad snapped at him. Ordinarily, he would never dare raise his voice to his father like that, but after everything that had happened in the past few months, his parents didn't scare him much anymore. "This is my fault! I should have seen something earlier, been able to figure it out!"

"Vladimir, do not blame yourself" His mother declared firmly. "If you want to blame someone, blame them. You didn't have any control over it."

"And from what Jack told you, you two ran in there when you saw she was in danger." Mr. Fenton tried to reassure him. Over the years, he had come to see Vlad Masters as a surrogate son. "If it wasn't for you, this might never have ended."

"I just hope this finally ends." Jack shook his head. The door opened and Maddie came bursting out in a frenzy, nearly running into them. Her hair was a complete mess, tears flying out of her eyes. She didn't spare them a second glance, running out of the building.

"Maddie!" Jack and Vlad exclaimed.

"Where is she going?" Jack asked. The duo followed her down the steps of the courthouse, but she had gone out of sight. "How do we find her?"

"Why are you asking me, Jack?" Vlad snapped at him. "I don't blame her for running! I'm amazed she was able to testify at all." Vlad had to admit to himself that if it had been him, he would likely not have had the strength. Admittedly, the two of them encouraged her and with the addition of Alicia's testimony, hopefully, this would end permanently.

"So how long are they going to be locked up for?" Jack wondered.

"Not long enough, not even close." Vlad snarled. _No amount of time would ever be enough!. _An idea just came to his head. He might know where she had disappeared to. Vlad started running down the rest of the steps.

"Wait up, Vlad!" Jack declared, trying to catch up to his friend. "Are you telling me you know where she is?"

"I might, but Jack… let me do this alone." Vlad asked his friend.

"Hey, she's my friend too!" Jack protested.

"I know, but this has to be between me and her." Vlad sighed. While Jack was close with Maddie, he wasn't quite as close to her as Vlad was. "I could be wrong, but I think I know where she is."

"Sorry, V-man; we're all in this together." Jack laughed. "I look forward to being the best man when you two get married!"

That was the last thing on Vlad's mind right now and part of the reason why he wanted to do this alone. While he was very fond of him, he had the annoying tendency to make light of situations. It wasn't what any of them needed right now. _And I can relate to her better than Jack can. _Vlad told himself.

He was only mildly surprised when he found Maddie. It was their old spot, where they played on the swings together every day many years ago. She was just sitting there, eyes haunted, saying nothing. "Maddie?" Vlad asked, trying to get her attention. She turned her head towards him, but said nothing. Vlad started swinging, hoping to get her to talk, hoping to remind her of happier memories. Unfortunately, it seemed to be ineffective.

He turned around when he saw her lips move, even though he wasn't able to hear what she said. "What did you say?" he asked, hoping she'd talk to him.

"I was 10." Maddie stated, audibly but softly.

"This has been going on for close to 5 years?" Vlad gasped in surprise, nearly falling off of the swing. Maddie nodded slightly, still finding words difficult. "Why didn't you tell us anything?"

"I was scared." Maddie admitted.

"We could have protected you, Maddie; we could have gotten you out." Vlad informed her. Granted, their efforts at rescue nearly ended in disaster, but even so, they could have done something. "Did you tell anyone?"

"Yes, my mom."

"Did she do anything about it?" Vlad extended his hatred to another member of Maddie's family.

"No, she ignored me." Maddie teared up again. "I thought she was just in denial, that she'd help me when she learned the truth. One day, though, when he was… touching me, she walked in. I thought she'd try to help me, grab something, demand that he leave me alone, but… she just told him that dinner was ready and walked out. She didn't… she didn't care at all."

Vlad felt rage course through his body? Her mother knew and she did absolutely nothing? How could she abandon her own daughter? However neglectful his mother often was, if she learned that someone was abusing him, a teacher, a relative, she'd be ready to kill the one responsible. "What about your sister?"

"He was hurting her too. Alicia sometimes took my place, trying to protect me from him. Eventually, she ran away and it got worse."

"They can't hurt you anymore, Maddie. They're going to prison for a long, long time." Vlad promised, trying to hug her, but she immediately pulled away, falling off the swing in a heap. Maddie was on the verge of hyperventilating, curling into a ball. "Maddie, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just trying to help." He tried hugging her again, but she pulled away with even more fear. _Okay, touching her is a bad idea. _"Come on, Maddie, let's get back. The others are worried about us."

Maddie shook her head, refusing to move. Vlad sat down beside her, trying to offer what comfort he could. Obviously, he couldn't offer any kind of physical affection. He sat down silently, looking at concern, concern almost overflowing out of his eyes.

Difficult as Vlad's home life frequently was, there was something he now understood. His parents screamed at him, were very hard on him, especially when he dared shed tears (a habit he broke about 4 years ago) even hit him at times, but they loved him. Maddie's parents had never loved her, seeing her only as a tool, something to be used and thrown aside.

"What are you doing here, Vlad?" someone laughed at him. He turned out and saw his tormentor at the high school. _Great, just what we need at the moment. _"You know this place is for babies, right?" Thomas got a look at Maddie curled up in a ball and crying. "Dude, what did you to her?"

"Get out of here, Thomas, now." Vlad glared furiously. "I'm in no mood to put up with your bullshit." Vlad was 5'3 and weighed only around 120 pounds, so Thomas would see little reason to find him intimidating. However, he severely underestimated Vlad's current anger. "Go!"

"I don't think so, wimp… unless you think you can make me." Thomas laughed. Taking another look at Vlad, along with the kind of state Maddie was in, he raised his hands. "Fine, I'll let you off this once, but just wait until tomorrow." He moved closer to Maddie, who was barely making a single sound. "Dude, did you actually hit her? You make me sick, Masters."

"I haven't touched her." Vlad hissed, really, really wanting him to leave so he could try to help his friend. What was he being accused for, anyway?

"Is there a problem here?" Jack glared at him. Tom glanced over at him. He could beat Vlad, even in his enraged state, but knew he had little chance against his larger friend. Tom left, still not sure what was going on. "Maddie?"

"How did you figure it out?" Vlad asked.

"It took me a while, but then I remembered how we first met." Jack admitted. "I decided to take a guess and what do you know? I was right!" He turned serious again. "How is she holding up?"

"How do you think, Jack?" Vlad snapped at him, waving his hand towards Maddie to emphasize his point. They both approached her, but she wasn't moving. Vlad cautiously poked her on her leg, hoping he wasn't going to make her feel frightened again. She stirred slightly, but otherwise didn't move.

"Well, Dad's willing to take her in until they can find a foster home." Jack sighed. Ever since her parents were arrested, she had stayed in the foster care system while they attempted to place her with someone. Vlad talked to talk his parents into letting her stay there, but while they felt a rare bit of sympathy, they refused. Vlad was worried, not only because of the state Maddie was in, but because he didn't want to lose her. She was one of his best friends and held a special place in his heart. He admitted he would rather she have stayed with him, but at least she was going to stick around.

"You think she's going to recover from this?" Vlad worried.

"Maddie's a strong girl; she'll move past it." Jack reassured.

Vlad continued looking at her. "When this started, I would have agreed with you. Now, though… I'm not so sure. This isn't something you just forget. I don't think we should move her."

"We might have to; it looks like it might rain. Maddie?"

"It looks like she's asleep." Vlad sighed. "We're going to have to move her." He moved close to Maddie. Even in sleep, her face was contorted with pain. "Maddie?" He nudged her gently. Maddie gasped, swinging her hand around, but stayed asleep. He was reluctant to wake her up.

"Vlad, we need to move her."

"I'm not waking her, Jack."

Jack walked over to Maddie and started shaking her awake. Her eyes widened and she swung her limbs around, crying: "No, please don't! Leave me alone! I don't want to, Daddy!" Each word felt like another knife in Vlad's heart. She eventually realized she was out of her house and near her friends, not her parents.

"We've got to go, Maddie." Jack informed her. "Sorry to wake you, but we need to get home. I think there's a storm blowing in." She nodded and got up, keeping a distance from both of them. They walked into Jack's house, where Maddie was escorted into the guest room.

Vlad sat down next to the bed, looking at her, not saying anything. He didn't think there was anything to say. Mr. Fenton walked in, saying that it was time for dinner. It was eaten mostly in silence, with all three of them trying to get Maddie to speak, but she didn't do anything but nod or shake her head.

Afterwards, Jack went into his room. Vlad refused to leave Maddie, so Mr. Fenton reluctantly allowed him to stay there, bringing in a mattress for him to sleep on. Vlad's parents were informed that Vlad was going to stay there. Maddie didn't react at all, except when she started shaking when the door was closed, so they decided to leave it open a crack.

"Maddie… you know I'm not going to hurt you, right?" Vlad asked. _Is she actually scared of me? Does she really think I'm going to hurt her?_

"Yes… I know." She replied to him. Eventually, she ended up going to sleep, but Vlad was unable to do. Part of him still blamed himself for not doing anything sooner. He didn't know how much time passed, but he saw her in the middle of a nightmare, shaking off her blanket and flailing her limbs. Vlad simply sighed, trying to look away, but he found that he couldn't.

After closing arguments, it took the jury less than an hour to find her parents guilty. Alicia hovered around Maddie, suffering just as much as her younger sister, but expressing it with anger instead of fear. She warned both of them: "You so much as kiss her, I'll put a fucking bullet into your brains. Understand?" To prove she was completely serious, she showed them her gun. Jack and Vlad both gulped and nodded.

Since Alicia didn't have a place of her own to story, Maddie stayed with the Fentons. Mr. Fenton provided all of them with as much support as he could, but Maddie absolutely refused to be alone with him, for any reason at all. She never said that much and only spoke single word answers for a long time. Even after that, there was little noise coming out of her, except for the nightmares.

During all of this, she seemed to feel safest around Vlad. He still couldn't touch her at all, but she didn't immediately panic when left alone with him. There were times she talked to him about what happened. About how Alicia kept her father from touching her more often, how she sacrificed her own body to protect her sister, how some days they bandaged their wounds and cried together. She told him about her mother's indifference, how she pleaded with her to protect her from him, and always the same apathy.

After Alicia had enough and ran away from home, it became worse. On the rare occasion she tried to resist, she was beaten. Every time she spoke about it, Vlad became enraged. He almost never left her side. Even when his grades suffered for it and his parents shouted at him, he refused. Jack stayed by her as well, though she said less about her experience to Jack than Vlad. He reacted pretty much the same way, though.

Gradually, she started talking about other things, trying to get back into a semblance of a normal life. Maddie still couldn't handle being touched, however.

"Glad you're able to help her." Jack look at his friend. "You're going to make a great couple one day." Vlad groaned; he was getting tired of that joke.

"Yeah, I've been a great help." Vlad sneered. "I was so helpful, I left her in that hell for 5 years!"

"She's talked to you about her experience far more than she has me." Jack reminded him. "You're helping her, Vlad, more than you think. You've run yourself ragged trying to do everything for her." That was putting it mildly. He was nearly failing a couple of his classes, as his mind was almost solely focused on her. Jack felt left out at times, but knew the reasoning behind Vlad's actions.

"I know, but Alicia scares the hell out of me." Vlad admitted. "I don't think she was joking when she said she would kill us."

Maddie's grades, on the other hand, were outstanding. She threw herself into her work, trying to find something else to focus on. People quickly left her alone after Jack and Vlad tore into her main bully. She spent a lot of the time away from everyone else, just reading one of her textbooks or writing a paper.

Jack dealt with his guilt by going into football, eventually becoming the star defensive lineman. He offered to get Vlad a place on the team, but he declined. While Vlad enjoyed watching the packers, being chased down by morons wasn't what he wanted to spend his afternoons doing. They'd love to use him as a target.

On the day of the sentencing, her father was sentenced to 20 years behind bars, while her mother was sentenced to 10. With a look of pure revulsion, the bailiff took them away.

"They're not going to hurt you again, Maddie, I promise." Jack told her. Her father looked at her and grinned. Mr. Fenton's response was to put his fist next to his hand and from the looks of it, he was all but begging for an excuse to pound him. He gulped and turned away.

"They found a family willing to take you in." Mr. Fenton informed her. "If anything happens over there, you let me know, ok?" He looked into Maddie's eyes. He was nervous about letting her go. The poor girl had already suffered more than most people did in their entire lives. Mr. Fenton did not want her dealing with more pain.

"Thanks, Mr. Fenton." Maddie gave him a very rare smile. Over the past couple of months, she was able to be alone with him without losing her mind, although she was still nervous and ready to dart for an exit at the slightest warning. "I'm grateful for your help."

"We're all here for you, Maddie." Vlad promised her. They were hoping that her parents being sent to prison for a very long time would help provide closure and allow her to heal.

But for Vlad, that wasn't enough. He wanted blood and he swore that one day, he would get it.

X X X X X X X X X X

You know the routine by now. Please review.


	5. Supernatural encounter Part 1

Wow, this is pretty quick for me. I just got a burst of inspiration and decided to get everything done while I still had it. I do intend to make a couple references throughout the story of what's going on in the type period. Hopefully, I'll be at least mostly accurate.

X X X X X X X X X X

1984:

"No, Jack, absolutely not!" Vlad insisted when Jack told him of his idea.

"Come on, V-man, it'll be good!" Jack exclaimed. "Besides, both of you need to get out more." By now, Jack was nearly 6'3 and had tons of fat and muscle. Vlad still laughed when he told him about the Fenton fudge recipe.

"Oh, yes, excellent idea." Vlad laughed. He was only about 5'7 and weighed about 145 pounds. He had the ability to eat pretty much whatever he wanted and not gain any weight. They were quite an odd pair, but were still best friends. "Do you remember the last time you dragged me into something? Let's see: what happened? Oh, yes, it ended with me on the floor, holding myself in pain." _And do you recall what happened when Maddie tried to make herself socialize again? _However irritated he was at his friend, though, he wasn't going to use that to score a point in an argument.

"I thought she'd make a good girlfriend for you." Jack defended himself. "I didn't know it would end with you being kicked in the crotch; how did that happen, anyway?"

"I was trying to compliment her and she took it the wrong way." Vlad stated. Actually, what happened was that he was nervous and mumbled something. She didn't hear him correctly and swung her leg.

"Anyway, I've got a new girlfriend!" Jack laughed. "Her name's Nancy Thompson and we've been going out for the past 2 weeks."

"How long is this relationship going to last?" Vlad groaned. His relationships never seemed to last more than a couple months. Girls just fell all over his feet. Much as he cared about his friend, he couldn't help but feel resentful. Jack even enjoyed telling him the details, like how so far he had been with three girls. Logically, Vlad knew he was just making conversation with his best friend, but sometimes it felt like he was rubbing it in his face.

"Hey, she's a great girl." Jack smiled.

"Just remember her father is a cop and would love any excuse to haul you to jail."

"Yep, that's going to make things awkward when I meet him. Hey, what's this?" Jack grabbed a piece of paper in Vlad's room that got his attention. He generally kept his room quite clean, but it still had occasional clutter. "Whoa, Vlad, where did this come from?" It was a drawing he had made about a month ago. Someone with blue-green skin, curved hair, red eyes, and fangs was flying above three corpses, black energy around his hand. "This is just creepy."

"Give me that!" Vlad snapped, grabbing it out of his hand. What he drew was his business, no one else's.

"You know, if the school saw you with that, they'd probably expel you." Jack warned. Vlad was a good person, but Jack knew he had a strong darker side to him. He always refused to talk about his parents, even when Jack pushed him. He didn't know much about it himself, only when he was younger, he sometimes had bruises that couldn't be explained by the bullies at school. "Who are those dead people, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter." Vlad hid it out of sight. Really, if his friend couldn't figure it out, he wasn't about to tell him.

"Ok, V-man." Jack dropped it. "Hey, I ought to introduce you to Nancy!" He grabbed onto Vlad's arm and sped out of his room, Vlad trailing helplessly behind him. They were out in the street before he knew it.

"Hey, guys." Maddie greeted them. Vlad stuck out his hand, making Jack chuckle to himself. She shook it, both of them staying silent for a few moments. A few months before, he had confessed to Maddie that he had feelings for her. That had made their meetings awkward. Thankfully, their friendship had not fallen apart.

"So how have you been holding?" Vlad asked with concern.

"I've been all right." Maddie admitted. She had some feelings for Vlad and part of her wanted to pursue a relationship with him, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't take the chance. "I was listening to my parents argue. Mom thinks Reagan's going to start a Third World War with this so-called 'Star Wars' program."

"Yeah, I have my doubts about it." Vlad replied. "It would be great if we actually managed it, if we could actually defend ourselves against nuclear attack. Still, I'm not going to hold my breath on that."

"Who'd want to aim at Springwood, anyway?" Jack laughed. "So how's school going?"

"It's going all right; Vlad helped me with my science project." Maddie smiled. Vlad barely kept himself from sighing. He wanted to be around her, but at the same time, doing so hurt. Still, he had grown extremely protective of her, especially over the past couple of years.

"Good to hear; now are you two coming to our sleepover?" Jack asked. "Me, Nancy, and a couple other people are meeting at her house. You ought to join us!"

"Are you sure about this, Jack?" Vlad wondered.

"Jack, what happened to your arm?" Maddie gasped. Indeed, there were two cuts going down his right arm.

"No idea, actually; I woke up with them." Jack shrugged. He couldn't think of any explanation for it, but he had a weird dream the previous night.

"Did you fall on something again?" Vlad asked. They continued talking and joking around until Nancy arrived, throwing herself in Jack's arms. Nancy was only about 15 years old, 3 years younger than Jack was. She had brown hair, blue eyes, and was currently wearing a pink sweater.

"Always good to see you, Jack," Nancy smiled. "And this would be Vlad and Maddie." Jack constantly spoke about them. It seemed a very odd friendship to her. She knew who Vlad was; what person in Springwood didn't? But he didn't seem the type to become friends with Jack.

"Nice to meet you," Vlad stated cautiously, offering his hand. It was not lost on her that he immediately positioned himself in front of Maddie, ready to jump in immediately if necessary.

"Hey, Nancy, you mind if they come along?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure; it was meant to just be you, me, and Tina." Nancy admitted. She looked at the two of them, expecting them to be disappointed or even angry. However, they looked indifferent or even relieved.

"Come on, Nancy, let them come along." Jack smiled. "Those two need to get out once in a while."

"Jack, we're fine; just because we don't go out every day of the week doesn't mean there's something wrong with us." Vlad protested. Unlike Jack, Maddie and Vlad rarely socialized outside of their small group.

"All right, they can come along." Nancy sighed. "Just be grateful I like you so much." She kissed his cheek and smiled.

"Ha, ha, this is going to be fun." Jack declared. Vlad and Maddie shared nervous glances.

Later that night, they arrived at Tina's place, Jack excited and his friends nervous. Vlad brought along a paintball gun for protection. He knew he'd probably get weird glances for doing so, but he didn't know what he was getting into. Besides, he wasn't about to leave Maddie's side. If anything, she was even more nervous than he was.

"So you're really taking Karate classes?" Nancy asked Maddie. "When did you start?"

"About 6 months ago." Maddie responded. "I'm nearly to my Yellow Belt already." She pushed herself hard in her class and practiced at every opportunity.

"Yep, she's determined to kick the butt of anyone who crosses her." Vlad joked, putting an arm around Maddie's shoulder. She flinched briefly, but otherwise said nothing. "Especially after…" He was cut off by a warning look from Vlad "Well, V-man here always seems to have a target on his back, and I can't always protect him."

"Shouldn't you be able to protect yourself, Masters?" Tina asked him. She had blond hair, brown eyes, was wearing a nightgown, and like her friend Nancy, was 15 years old.

"You'd think so." Vlad sighed, deciding to leave the room. He pulled out a popcorn bags and put them in the microwave. Honestly, how could Jack nearly let that slip? He watched as the bag expanded, waiting impatiently. _Still better than being in a room with people I don't know._

"Hey, Vlad," Maddie greeted her friend. "You decided to get out of there too, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm not good at meeting new people." Vlad groaned, getting a bowl and pulling the bag out, nearly burning his fingers in the process. "I still can't believe Jack talked me into this."

"I saw the paintball gun next to your sleeping bag." Maddie admitted. "I think it's sweet that you want to protect me."

"I'm not physically strong the way Jack is, but I do what I can." Vlad replied. He wanted to hug her but refrained. Maddie could handle physical affection if he or Jack told her it was coming, but if they did so unexpectedly, it made her nervous.

"He's in his element, isn't he?" Maddie looked at them. He was telling the girls one of his stories, both of them giggling.

"Yes, he is." Vlad sighed. He put in another bag of popcorn, since a single one wouldn't last long among five people. "How long do you think he and Nancy will last?"

"We'll have to wait and see."

Meanwhile, Jack just laughed, and wrapped his arm around Nancy's waist. "So what is it with your friends?" Nancy wondered. "They've been acting really weird."

"That's just them; don't worry about it." Jack told his girlfriend, or rather, lied to his girlfriend. Neither of them was especially social, and Maddie barely hung around anyone else at all. Maddie tried to hide it, but it was obvious to him that she was still quite haunted from her experiences. _Bastard; opened wounds that were just barely starting to close;_ His efforts at helping Vlad make friends didn't go very well, doubly so for dates.

"So are you feeling better, Tina?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting there." Tina replied. "That dream was real frightening, though. He liked scraping his fingernails against the wall."

"The guy in my dream did the same thing." Nancy admitted. "Actually, they were more like finger-knives, something he built himself."

"Why would someone build a glove with knives for fingers?" Jack asked. However, that did sound quite familiar. It matched the description of something that happened about 10 years ago.

"Maybe because he's got a few mental problems," Vlad offered, walking back into the room with bowls of popcorn. He handed a bowl to Jack, who immediately started gulping it down. Nancy took the occasional handful looking amused and disgusted and the same idea. _Yes, jack's eating habits will do that. _"Here you go, Maddie."

"Thanks, Vlad." Maddie replied, grabbing a handful. "Hey, you didn't put much salt on this time."

"I know you don't like salt; remembered this time." Vlad smiled at her, who shyly smiled back. He liked lots of salt, but Maddie didn't. His parents always tried to teach him proper manners, eating proper food, but he always resisted, which led to shouting matches. Thankfully, as he got older, they became a little more lenient. _I suppose it's weird for the kid of a millionaire to eat this, but who cares? _Unlike Jack, they ate far slower.

"Are those two together?" Nancy whispered to Jack, referring to them.

"Nope, they're just friends." Jack replied. "I still think they're going to get married and have kids one day." _I hope so; they deserve to have some happiness in their lives._

"He was terrifying." Tina admitted. "He wore a dirty red and green sweater."

"Tina… you dreamed about the exact same thing I did." Nancy admitted.

"That doesn't sound possible." Jack told them.

"I'm not sure; I've read cases about that kind of thing happening." Vlad explained. "Of course, most incidents I've read are supposed to have something to do with the paranormal. They don't have much about it in the library, though." He gulped down another handful of popcorn.

"It could be just a coincidence." Maddie told him. "I'm not sure if ghosts exist or not, but it's an interesting concept."

"I've heard all that before; I don't believe it." Jack dismissed. They heard a rustling in the bushes. Nancy, Tina, and Maddie rushed to the door. Vlad picked up his paintball gun, hoping there wasn't someone trying to break into the house. "Wonder what's out there? Maybe it's a ghost like what you were telling me."

"Very funny, Jack." Vlad rolled his eyes. He got up from the floor and decided to have a look. The girls, however, were already ahead of him.

"Look, girls, it's probably nothing…" Maddie tried to say, but Tina was picked up from behind, who squealed in surprise. Her boyfriend, Rod Lane, had apparently decided to crash the party.

"What are you doing here, Rod?" She asked.

"Just came to make up." Rod smiled. He looked towards Maddie and smiled. "So you two made a new friend? She's pretty hot; not as hot as you, of course, but hot. So how are you tonight?" Maddie was getting increasingly nervous.

"Get him!" Jack exclaimed, both he and Vlad tackling him to the ground. Rod screamed as the two of them held him down.

"Got his legs!' Vlad told his friend, grabbing onto them. They picked him up, while he tried furiously to break their grip.

"What the fuck are you two doing?" Rod demanded.

"Jack, let him go!" Nancy screamed at him. "He's my friend; he's not causing trouble." They dropped him to the ground, making him even angrier.

"What is your deal, you fat idiot?" Rod screamed at him.

"Don't call him an idiot!" Vlad defended.

"Calm down, all of you," Nancy interjected. She was amazed that Maddie wasn't furious at the two for being overprotective. Somehow, though, it seemed to reassure her.

"Fine; you're not worth it, anyway." Rod dismissed Jack and Vlad. He wanted to make up with Tina and knew starting a fight would just make it worse. "Is your mom home?"

"Take a guess, Rod." Vlad sneered.

"He's right; she's not." Tina sighed. "She's off in Vegas with her latest boyfriend."

"And she and Nancy have been having nightmares about some creepy guy." Jack added. Both of them cringed; why did he have to mention that?

"You're not going anywhere are you?" Tina asked Nancy. "Please don't leave me alone with this lunatic." He held her from behind, his hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. The two of them went up to her mother's bedroom.

"So what now?" Vlad wondered. "Did anyone being some earplugs?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Jack laughed, making him groan. "Does Tina have any good movies?"

However, they decided to go to sleep. Since Nancy and Jack's primary reason for being there was supporting Tina, and she was currently being "comforted" by her boyfriend, they decided to just sleep. Vlad and Maddie stayed close together.

"Jack, we can't both fit into this thing." Nancy informed her when he tried to get into the sleeping bag with her. He saw his two friends not so discretely chuckling.

After about an hour, Vlad was the only one awake. He wanted to blame Jack for his snoring, but he was well aware of the real reason: he was awake to watch over Maddie. It was a habit he had for over two years, and would probably have for as long as they knew one another. _She really does look beautiful. I'm glad to see her peaceful for once._

He simply say there, looking at her, not doing anything else. Eventually, he decided to go for a brief walk, hoping it would help him get to sleep. The streets were completely quiet; not even stray animals were out. _Ok, this is weird. _He thought.

Vlad heard something behind him. At first, he thought Rod was trying to play a joke on him, but he didn't hear the expected laughter. Shaking his head, he continued his walk, only to bump into someone. "Sorry, I didn't see you." Vlad apologized. He got a good look at him and gasped. That was exactly what Nancy and Tina were describing. He knew exactly who this was, but how was this possible?

"Come to Freddy, Vlad Masters." He laughed as Vlad sprinted in the other direction with all his speed.


	6. Supernatural encounter Part 2

Jack slowly opened his eyes, wondering what was going on. He heard something, but his brain was still too sleepy to recognize what it was. He moaned, rubbing his eyes, trying not to trip over Nancy.

He crawled out of his sleeping bag and saw Vlad twitch. He screamed and it looked like he was fighting against something. _What can he be fighting against? _Jack wondered. He had woken Maddie up as well, who was trying to shake him out of it, with no success.

Vlad was throwing his legs around, one of them catching Maddie on the shoulder. She was pushed back, irritated, but still trying to help him. Suddenly, however, something very weird happened. Vlad's shirt was raised and Jack saw 4 cuts on his back, all of them forming a puddle of blood.

Jack still didn't know what was going on, but knew he had to wake his friend. He held his arms down and shook him as hard as he could. Vlad continued to struggle against an unseen enemy and even his strength found it difficult to restrain him. "Vlad! Vlad!" Jack shouted. Vlad continued struggling, but was slowly opening his eyes. When he saw Jack's face, he screamed until he realized who it was.

"What was that?" Maddie demanded.

"He attacked me…" Vlad groaned, trying to stop himself from screaming in pain. He tried to get up, only to fall with a cry.

"Nancy, do you have a first aid kit?" Jack exclaimed, looking at his girlfriend, who was not yet fully awake. He turned the light on, forcing her eyes to readjust.

"This is Tina's house, but I'll see what I can find." Nancy sighed. "What's going on?" She got a look at Vlad and barely repressed a squeal. She ran off to the kitchen, hoping to find something.

"Come on, Vlad, stay with us." Maddie pleaded. Vlad was far from unconscious, but strangely enough, the pain was at the back of his mind. The only thing he felt at the moment was pure fear. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know, Maddie!" Jack snapped, startling her. "Sorry, I'm just worried about him. How is this possible?"

"Could he have bumped up against something?" Maddie wondered. Even as she said it, though, she highly doubted that was the case, but what other explanation was there?

"No, I don't see anything near him." Jack refuted. He took a closer look at the wounds. It was almost like something had clawed him. "This doesn't make any sense.

"Will you guys keep it down?" Tina complained to them. "Rod and I are trying to sleep."

"Hey, we've got a bit of a problem on our hands." Jack replied sternly in what he felt was a major understatement. "V-man's been hurt!"

"Is he all right?" Tina softened her voice, heading down to see what was going on. Groaning, Rod followed them, wearing nothing but his underwear.

"Whoa, what the hell happened?" Rod gasped. Admittedly, he had gotten into numerous fights and even owned a switchblade, but he hadn't seen an injury like that. Where could Masters have gotten it?

Nancy arrived with the first aid kit. Maddie began with pouring antiseptic on the wound. She expected Vlad to cry out, but apart from a shudder, he said nothing. Jack grabbed the bandages and placed them on his body as smoothly as possible. He rolled his friend around to see if there were any other injuries. There didn't appear to be any.

"Vlad, who did this?" Maddie asked.

"Freddy… Freddy," Vlad managed to stammer out.

"Does that make any sense to you?" Jack asked everyone.

"I know a junior named Freddy, but he's a nerd." Rod spoke out. "Besides, how could someone have gotten in here with nobody noticing? We locked all the doors and windows, right?"

"Yes, I locked them." It had become habit for Maddie to lock her door, no matter how short a time span she spent inside the room.

"Any broken windows?" Nancy wondered. They looked around, but everything was in place.

"So how the hell could someone have gotten in?" Rod wondered. "If someone broke the windows, we would all have heard something and there would be a sign of it."

"I know; I don't see anything at all." Jack groaned. Vlad was still silent as he pushed himself to a sitting position. "Who did this to you, V-man? When I get my hands on that SOB…"

"It was Freddy… tried to kill me." Vlad replied to him.

"Vlad, you're not making any sense." Maddie told him. "How could someone have tried to kill you without me noticing it? I was sleeping right next to you!"

"I'm telling the truth, ok?" Vlad shouted. After that outburst, though, the memories started coming back.

_Vlad just ran; it didn't matter what direction he went. All he knew was that he had to get away. He sprinted faster than he ever thought possible, but ended up running right into him. He laughed as he rolled away from his weapon and continued running._

_ He headed back to the house, trying to open the door, but it was locked and wouldn't budge. "Guys, let me in!" he called desperately, but there was no response, no footsteps. "I'm serious; please help me!" He was forced to run again, hearing laughter behind him._

_ "Hey, Masters!" the nightmare called it. Almost against his will, he turned around. Freddy took out his claw and sliced two of his own fingers off, blood spurting out of him. However, he didn't seem to be harmed in the least. Vlad bolted, panting, trying to find an escape route. He ran through the alleys, but no matter where he turned, he couldn't get away from him. He already knew the house wouldn't open and no matter how loud he screamed for help, no one responded. Just what was going on?_

_ "You can't get away, boy." He appeared again and this time, he failed to turn around. He grabbed onto Vlad's arm, holding firm in spite of his attempts to escape. Vlad grabbed his face, hoping it would distract him, but his hand fell right off, with a layer of flesh in his hand. In disgust, he threw it to the ground and momentarily broke free, but he was tackled almost immediately. He felt searing pain through his back, screaming in both pain and terror. Vlad continued fighting, but knew he wasn't going to last._

"Vlad, how could anyone have gotten in here?" Nancy tried to reason with him.

"The guy you mentioned before; did he have a red and green sweater?" Vlad asked them desperately. When Nancy and Tina nodded, he continued: "That was him! He's the one who attacked me! He had the… finger-knives you mentioned."

"None of this is making any sense at all." Nancy sighed. "It was weird enough when me and Tina dreamed about the same thing. Now you're dreaming about him?"

"Okay, then what do we do?" Maddie asked.

"I'm not sure." Tina sighed. "I can still hardly believe this. My nightgown was ripped last night, but I wasn't actually hurt."

They continued talking, most of them going around in circles. Vlad left the group, curling up on the couch, still staring off into space. _I really thought I was going to die. _Vlad thought. The fact of the matter was that he very nearly did, and the thought frightened him. Maddie moved by his side, looking at him with concerned eyes. "Are you all right, Vlad?" she asked him.

"Not really," Vlad admitted. "That thing nearly killed me and you guys think that I'm making this up!"

"We don't think you're lying, Vlad." Maddie responded, being patient with him. "It's just a lot to take in, someone trying to kill you in your sleep." Vlad didn't say anything, instead hugging her tightly. It startled her momentarily until she remembered this was her best friend, not someone who was going to hurt her. She cautiously hugged him back, trying to help him as best she could. Vlad forced himself not to cry.

None of them were able to get back to sleep. Tina and Rod decided to retire to their mother's bed, all of them shaken up about the night's events. Jack stayed with Vlad and Maddie, while Nancy watched with concern and considerable confusion. Vlad hissed in pain from his injuries, but there was little that could be done that they didn't already do.

Before they knew it, it was light and they had to go to school. "So what are we going to tell your parents?" Jack wondered.

"Personally, I'm hoping to avoid that for as long as possible." Vlad admitted. "There isn't exactly a suitable explanation for this. How am I going to be able to keep this hidden when we play P.E.?"

"We'll figure out something, V-man." Jack promised. "Have a good day, Nancy!" They shared a long kiss before she went off to class.

They went to their economics class, but none of them had the energy to pay attention. Vlad forced himself to stay awake, but knew he was rapidly losing that battle. _I'm hoping that if I stay awake, he can't get me. _Vlad thought. Jack was about to doze off as well; Vlad's response was to slap him in the back of the head. "Stay awake, Jack." Vlad muttered. "I don't want him going after you as well."

Unawares to him, though, it was already too late for Maddie. She was silently sleeping. Maddie got up from her desk, walking out of the classroom. She found it odd that her teacher was saying something, apparently not even noticing. She was barely aware of what she was doing, lost in her own thoughts. "Maddie, what are you doing here?" She heard a voice behind here. Nancy was with her, the only one in the deserted hallways.

Without Jack and Vlad, she felt nervous being alone with someone. _Snap out of it, girl! _She told herself. "I don't know," Nancy answered. "I just wanted to get out of there. Odd thing, though: nobody even seemed to notice."

"Maddie!" She heard a voice in the hallway, making her jump. Near the stairwell, she saw Vlad, but it didn't look like him. He was covered in cuts and blood, his body barely recognizable. "Help me, Maddie!"

"Vlad, how did this happen?" Maddie asked, while Nancy screamed at the sight of him. Vlad refused to answer, though, instead deciding to run. Both of them were astonished that he was even alive, much less able to run so fast in his condition.

"Okay, this isn't good." Nancy muttered. "Just where are we?"

"Hey, Maddie, remember me!" a voice laughed. Maddie gasped in fear, remember who he was. He walked towards the girls, Nancy slightly confused, while Maddie was completely terrified. "Do you remember our time together, girl?" He grinned to himself, walking towards them, Maddie too terrified to move.

"Stay away from me, Ken!" Maddie screamed, kicking him in the gut. She ran in the other direction, Nancy following.

"Who was that?" Nancy panted, trying to keep up with her.

"It doesn't matter; just run!" Maddie replied, not wanting to specify. True, Jack was dating her, but it didn't mean she was trustworthy.

But as they ran through the doors of the school, they didn't end up inside, but in another room. It was dark and full of pipes, and they could hear the sound of the boilers. "Okay, we might want to stick together." Nancy stated, to which Maddie nodded.

"Or maybe we should turn back; I have a bad feeling about this place." Maddie gulped. She looked behind her, only to find the exit sealed up by a brick wall.

"Maddie, help me!" Vlad cried out, grabbing their legs, both of them screaming. He slowly crawled towards them, blood pouring copiously from all of his wounds. Instead of coming closer, they ran, but found the corridor blocked off by a series of pipes.

They heard a loud screech behind him, a figure in a red and green sweater showing up. _Oh, my god; I think this is who Vlad mentioned! _Maddie thought. He stayed silent, except for the screeching, sparks flying off the metal wall. Both of them tried to run, only to find that there was nowhere they could go.

"It's just a dream; it isn't real!" Nancy screamed. "It's just a dream; it isn't real! It's just a dream; it isn't real!" She was keeping herself together by the slimmest of margins.

"Oh, I'm real." Freddy laughed, moving towards them. Maddie realized where they were and know what had to be done.

"Sorry about this, Nancy." Maddie gasped, punching her in the stomach with all her strength. Nancy cried out in pain but disappeared. "Okay, now what do I do?"

"Die," Freddy grinned. Maddie screamed at the top of her lungs, sending her fist into the wall. She squirmed and screamed, only to find herself back in her classroom.

"What's going on here?" The teacher demanded. He was nearly 60, with glasses and a stern demeanor. "Miss Stevens, I would appreciate it if you did not disrupt my class." The kids started chuckling to themselves, making Jack and Vlad stand up in her defense. Jack's glare and clenched fist gradually silenced them.

After the class was over, it didn't take long for the rumors to spread, but Jack and Vlad already guessed what had happened. "You were right, Vlad; he is in our dreams."

"Sorry he attacked you." Vlad winced. Despite the strongest painkillers he had, he still felt the cuts he had received the previous night. "Did he hurt you?" He looked her over; she seemed to be fine, except for a bruise on her hand.

"Jack, someone attacked us!" Nancy exclaimed, running into his arms. "He was the same guy I saw in my dreams the other night."

"This is still hard to believe, but it doesn't look like I have a choice." Jack sighed. "Okay, if someone's attacking us in our dreams, how are we supposed to stop him?"

"I have no idea." Vlad admitted.

"Vlad, are you all right?" Maddie demanded. "When I was dreaming, I saw you, except you were covered in blood. I thought you were dead!" Tears began to form in her eyes.

"I'm okay, Maddie." Vlad smiled, wrapping her hand in his own, stroking it softly. "I'm right here; I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, you look good to me, V-man." Jack chuckled, slapping him on the back. Unfortunately, he forgot the injuries Vlad had received the previous night, causing him to scream in pain. "Uh… sorry."

"Damn it, Jack, don't do that!" Vlad snapped at him. Hopefully, they weren't bleeding again.

"We'd better warn Tina and Rod." Nancy told them, to which Jack nodded. She led her boyfriend out of his friend's earshot and told him. "Jack, your friend Maddie doesn't seem to like me very much. Did I do anything?"

"No, Nancy." Jack shook his head. "She's just slow to warm up to people. Maddie doesn't really socialize except for me and V-man." That wasn't the whole truth, far from it, but he refused to break Maddie's confidence. Jack knew he screwed up at times, but he was going to be the best friend to her that he possibly could.

"Are she and Vlad together?" Nancy wondered.

"No, not yet," Jack smiled. "I'm hoping they will one day, though." They walked back to them, where Vlad was currently looking into Maddie's eyes, reassuring her that he was all right.

"Okay, we're going to have to stay awake until we figure out how to beat him." Maddie sighed. "This is not going to be easy."

"This guy sounds pretty familiar." Vlad admitted. "I think I did a report on him once. Now what was his last name?" A flash just entered his head. "Freddy Krueger! That's his name! I could have sworn he was dead, though."

"Reminds me of an old nursery rhyme…" Jack admitted. "One, two, Freddy's coming for you… 3, 4, better lock your door… 5, 6, grab your crucifix… 7, 8, better stay up late… 9, 10, never sleep again."

"I've heard that too." Nancy informed. "I didn't know it actually meant something."

"I'll do a bit of research, try to figure out just who and what it is we're dealing with." Vlad offered. "Unfortunately, my old report is probably long gone. I'll go to the library tomorrow and hopefully find something."

"He seems almost like a ghost." Maddie admitted. "I know that sounds impossible, but I can't think of any other explanation, unless we're all just going crazy."

"You're already crazy, but I love you anyway." Jack teased. Maddie beamed at him. "So how exactly are we going to stay awake?"

"We're going to need a lot of caffeine." Vlad declared. "However, since I hate the taste of coffee, I'm going to get something else."

"What's wrong with coffee?" Nancy wondered. Vlad walked to one of the local stores and bought himself 2 cases of Pepsi-Cola. He knew the others didn't mind coffee, but he did. After handing them the money, he carried the cases out, although with considerable difficulty due to his injury. Jack gave him a hand and took two of the cases for himself.

"The question is: will any of our parents allow us to stick together?" Nancy asked everyone.

"My dad won't have any problem with it; he knows how close I am to you guys." Jack told his girlfriend.

"My parents probably will; could always sneak out, though." Vlad shrugged. He knew what the likely consequences of that would be, but it didn't scare him the way it would have in the past.

"I think mine will be willing, as long as they don't know I'm around Vlad." Maddie added. "They don't exactly like him." That was a dramatic understatement. Several months ago, her adopted brothers put Vlad in the hospital with a knife wound due to a… misunderstanding. Even now, there were hostile feelings and Vlad returned them.

As he expected, Vlad's parents did not allow him to go to someone else's house two nights in a row. He resented the fact, especially after they screamed at him for "talking back", by which they meant defending himself when they tore into him. Even after so much time, it didn't take him long to feel miserable. As he promised, though, he snuck out of his room and walked towards Jack's house in the night.

He knocked on the door, Jack answering with a grin on his face. "Good to see you, V-man!" he exclaimed, this time remembering not to slap him on the back. Maddie had arrived more than an hour ago.

"Good to see you, Vlad." Maddie smiled at him. _She really needs to do that more often. _Vlad admitted to himself.

"Good to see you, son," Mr. Fenton told them. "So how are you doing?" He suppressed a wince as he put all his weight on his bad leg by mistake. He walked slowly to them as they took out the soda Vlad bought earlier. "It's not a good idea to drink that this late at night. You'll be up until midnight."

"Don't worry, dad; you know me!" Jack exclaimed.

"That's what I'm afraid of." His father teased.

"He's got you there, Jack." Maddie smirked at him.

"Hey, guys, I've got some movies we can watch." Jack laughed.

"Jack, we all know what kind of movies they are." Vlad shook his head. "They're slasher films where you know the first people that die are teenagers having sex. It's almost a rule in those movies." It was not lost on him that their current situation was sort of like those movies. They were fun to watch if you wanted to see something mindless, but actually living through that situation was not, not by a long shot.

They messed around, watching TV and playing board games. Jack took out Monopoly and each of them chose their characters. As the game went on, Vlad was clearly in the lead, with both of his friends trailing behind. "So did you parents allow you to come?" Maddie asked him.

"No, but I decided to go anyway." Vlad admitted. He knew what that would mean for him. _Yeah, no reason to be depressed, absolutely none! _Vlad snarled to himself. _I have the perfect childhood and they're the best parents in the world! Yeah, right; when have they ever helped me? _Once in a while, they did, but it wasn't a very common occurrence.

They heard a sound on the window, making them all jump. They saw Nancy, Rod, and Tina waiting outside for them. "Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" Jack asked them.

"We're joining you; we're all in this together, it seems like." Rod told him. "I still have a hard time believing this crap, but Nancy seems to believe it and I'm here to protect her." He put his arm around her shoulder, making her give him a playful elbow to the ribs.

"We can't let you in, so what are you going to do?" Vlad wondered. Tina answered his question by bringing a tent for them. Nancy crawled into the room, while Rod and Tina camped outside.

"So did you manage to convince them?" Jack asked her.

"Not really; they're just here for moral support." Nancy admitted. "They probably think I'm losing my mind."

"You're not; this is real." Jack replied, but still hardly believing it himself. Still, both of his best friends, along with his girlfriend, had been attacked in the past couple of days by this thing and he did not intend to stand idly by.

Hours passed and they continued drinking caffeine, Vlad gulping down Pepsi-cola while the others drank coffee. He took a small sip of it, hoping the disgusting taste alone would be enough to wake him up, which apparently it did. Even with the caffeine, though, he found it increasingly difficult to stay awake.

"What are we going to do, Vlad?" Maddie whispered to him.

"Just stay awake," Vlad whispered back. They heard a scream outside and gasped. Inside the tent, someone was struggling. Jack jumped up, trying to climb out the window, only to find himself stuck. None of the others could get around him until he popped out of the window, falling on his back.

The others got out; opening the tent, hoping to get there in time, but it was no use. Rod was dead, Tina screaming in terror, blood on her shirt. All of them looked at each other, more frightened than ever.

_How are we going to stop him? _Vlad asked in despair.

X X X X X X X X X X

Okay, I think their battle with Freddy Krueger is going to have about 4 parts in it. As always, please read, enjoy, and review. It's that little button less than an inch below.


	7. Supernatural Encounter Part 3

The questioning at the police station was a long, grueling process for every one of them. Vlad insisted that there was something out there, someone named Freddy who was responsible for this, but every time he stated as much, he was disregarded and ignored.

However, since they had no concrete proof that any of them were responsible, the police were eventually forced to let the gang go, all of whom were exhausted and wondering what do you next. "Well, that wasn't exactly how I thought I was going to spend my night." Jack moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"None of us expected it, Jack." Vlad responded. "The question is: what are we going to do?"

"First of all, I think we should find out just who this Freddy guy is, since he's apparently real, at least in some form." Maddie informed.

"But how are we going to stay awake?" Tina worried. "Sooner or later, we're going to fall asleep and then he'll get us!" Out of all of them, she was the one who was taking this the hardest.

"We'll just have to stay awake until we solve this mystery." Jack reasoned. He looked down at his watch. "Okay, my dad should be coming soon. Hopefully, he'll be able to help us." At the very least, he wouldn't be as bad as Mrs. Thompson. The instant she showed up, she started screaming at all of them, telling them how horrible they were for getting Nancy into this, and threatening Jack to stay away from her.

"Yeah, and how exactly do you intend to explain this?" Vlad demanded. " 'excuse me, dad, we need your help to defeat something that's killing us in our dreams'. The best case-scenario is that he'll refuse to believe us."

Before Jack could reply, a car showed up and an anxious couple walked up to Vlad. "What happened, Vlad?" his father demanded. "Why are you at a police station?"

"Like you're going to believe me," Vlad sneered. Over the years, he had built up a lot of anger towards his parents, and combined with their present situation, he saw no reason to control his temper.

"Don't speak to me like that, Vladimir." Mr. Masters snapped. "Now I want to now: why are you at a police station? From the call I received, it sounds like you and your friends are suspects in a murder."

"Fine, you want my answer; here goes." Vlad winced. "Some guy named Freddy attacked us. He attacked me a couple nights ago in my dreams. He said something about getting revenge."

"Vlad, that's ridiculous." Mrs. Masters told her son. "I told you before, that was simply a nightmare." There was a look on her face that Vlad picked up, though, indicating that she knew more than she was telling him. "Now just get in the car." Vlad sighed, knowing he had no choice in the matter, and beginning to feel like he was about to fall asleep.

For him, the trip home was mostly a silent one. _I was expecting them to yell at me, but they haven't said anything. _Vlad thought. _This really isn't like them. _

He walked into his room and sat down on the bed, forcing himself to stay awake. Vlad knew that whatever that thing was, it was not going to stop until it had killed him. He turned his light on, hoping that his parents wouldn't find out, and rummaged through his room, looking for something to read in order to keep him up.

However, he was unable to focus on the book, continuing to think about what had happened. _Poor Rod; I never liked him, but he didn't deserve to be cut to pieces by some supernatural monster. Okay, first thing this morning, I'm going to find out everything I can about this thing. _For now, though, he continued to read "Earth Abides".

X X X X X X X X X X

"I can't believe your parents let you out of the house, Nancy." Jack told his girlfriend, putting his arm around her shoulder. She was still rather shaken up and obviously not herself.

"What makes you think they know about it?" Nancy replied in a weak attempt at a grin, but soon burst back into tears, leaning against Jack's chest.

"Okay, so what are we going to do?" Maddie asked. Like the others, she had simply snuck out of her house after her hysterical stepparent refused to let her out of their sight. On one hand, it was nice to have parents that actually cared about her, but damn it, why couldn't they understand what was happening. She gave a loud yawn at that thought, her eyes on the verge of shutting.

"Did any of you get to sleep last night?" Tina asked. All of them shook their heads. "I fell asleep. I didn't mean to, but I fell asleep. I was wandering around my house when Rod showed up. At first, I didn't realize it was a dream, but he was… acting weird. He accused me of killing him, saying it was my fault that he was dead. Then he transformed into the same man I keep seeing in my dreams. I ran, not knowing where I was going. We kept going around in circles, and he nearly got me before I woke up." She leaned against Maddie's shoulder, crying softly.

"Did your parents notice anything?" Nancy asked.

"No, my mom's still on her trip." She replied sadly. "She wouldn't believe me, anyway; her whole life is about her latest boyfriend."

"I'm sorry, Tina." Maddie whispered. "We'll get through this, I promise."

"So where's Vlad?" Jack asked. "I thought he was going to meet us here." Vlad was already close to an hour late, which wasn't his usual behavior.

"Well, speak of the devil," Nancy remarked, seeing Vlad run towards him. Out of breath, he simply panted for a couple of minutes, letting out a couple of coughs.

"Sorry about that; I needed to sneak out of my house." Vlad explained. "My parents locked my door and took down the ladder by my windows. I had to crawl out and land on the ground, which was not a real pleasant experience, but here I am."

"So what are we going to do?" Maddie asked again.

"Look, the library's open, so we'll see what we can find out there." Vlad stated. When the others gave him skeptical replies, he stated: "Hey, at least it's a place to start."

"I think they've got a good paranormal section." Tina informed them, finally managing to speak in a calm voice. "Not that I ever believed in that stuff until now, but we ought to find something useful."

"Yeah, great idea," Jack began to smile. "Me and V-man here will see what we can find on this Freddy person. Since he's hanging around Springwood, there's got to be a record of him somewhere."

"Wait, what if we fall asleep?" Nancy asked in a worried tone. "This is probably going to take some time, and since all of us are exhausted, he may come after us."

"We'll just study together, then." Maddie declared. "If one of us falls asleep, the other can wake us up. In fact, we should probably do that tonight."

"Yes, that's not a bad idea." Vlad scratched his chin. "Of course, we may not be able to completely stick together. My parents have never liked you guys anyway and after last night, they think I'm hanging around potential murderers."

"Well, if one of you feels like you're going to fall asleep, just call me." Jack smiled. "You all have my numbers, so that should be pretty easy. I told my dad about everything, and he doesn't seem to be doing anything to stop me, so I think he may know something about him. Of course, when I questioned him, he just closed his mouth and walked off."

"Yeah, I noticed that about my parents too." Vlad remarked. "They denied it, of course, but they know who he is."

"If they know, why don't they tell us?" Tina inquired.

"Maybe it's some deep, dark town secret." Jack replied. "That would certainly make things more interesting, or maybe he even put a spell on them that doesn't allow our parents to tell us anything."

"We're getting ahead of ourselves here." Nancy interrupted. "Shouldn't we just head to the library and find out everything we can?"

"You girls look up stuff about the supernatural, creatures that attack in dreams, especially," Vlad instructed. "Jack and I will see what we can find out about Freddy." With a plan, the group walked to the library, still tired and on edge.

Once they got inside, Vlad immediately asked where the old newspaper articles were. Since Maddie already knew where the paranormal books were located, the girls immediately headed there.

"You know, I'm betting that nobody's looked at these in a long time." Vlad remarked, blowing dust off the newspapers. "Suppose we better get started."

"So assuming we get out of this alive, is there anyone you're interested in going out with?" Jack wondered.

"Not really, no." Vlad lied. There were girls that he looked at on occasion, but most of his attention was on Maddie. She knew he liked her, but… a relationship just wasn't possible between them.

"Come on, V-man, there's got to be someone!" Jack insisted. He knew his best friend well enough to know when he wasn't being honest with him. "Hey, if you tell me who it is, I can set you two up. You need to have some experience before you become an adult."

"I don't really want to talk about it." Vlad sighed, looking through the newspapers. "Let's just focus on the task at hand, all right?"

"Okay, if you want to be a party pooper." Jack complained, sitting down on the floor.

They looked through one newspaper after another, but neither of them found anything. If there was something big, it would be on the front page, but even after looking at the articles from cover to cover, there was nothing that jumped out at them. "Okay, maybe the next one." Vlad muttered, exhaustion beginning to overcome him.

_Wait a minute; I just remembered something! _Vlad exclaimed to himself. _I did a report on this guy when I was in 8__th__ grade! Let's see, back then, the stuff happened… six years before that, so what I want to check is the newspapers dating back 1973 and earlier. _"Hey, Jack, I just figured it out!" Vlad exclaimed, looking over his shoulder, but his friend was gone.

_Okay, that was weird. _Vlad thought. Whenever Jack left the room, it was impossible not to notice. "Come on, Jack, where are you?" he called out, not caring that he was in a library. What would they do to him, anyway?

Groaning, he looked through the shelves, wondering where his friend could have disappeared to. One thing Vlad did notice, though, was that nobody else was around. _That shouldn't be possible. I know libraries aren't considered cool, but there should be at least a couple of people in here getting an early start on homework. _

He walked over to the front desk in order to ask if the librarian had seen Jack, but even that area was empty. "She's always there; this library is her entire life." Vlad told himself. "Come to think of it, I don't see anybody anywhere." His stomach was beginning to feel weak, since he had a bad feeling that he knew where he was.

"Hey, Masters!" a voice exclaimed behind him, nearly making Vlad jump out of his skin. "No talking in the library!" There he was, the man with the green and gray sweater, complete with knives for fingers.

Vlad ran away at top speed, heading for the doors, only to find them locked. He pulled with all his might, but they wouldn't budge an inch. He turned around to find an alternate route of escape only to see Freddy right behind him, a vicious grin on his face.

He screamed at the top of his lungs and sprinted. At this point, he didn't care what direction he was going; Vlad just wanted to get away from that thing. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest from sheer terror.

However, after all that, Freddy appeared behind him, scraping his fingers against the wall, spraying sparks in every direction. _Dear god, I'm doomed. No matter where I go, he's going to catch me. I've got to think of something else!_

"There's no escape from me, boy." Freddy laughed, swinging his arm in Vlad's direction. He dodged, only to end up tackled by the burnt man, both of them falling to the floor.

Vlad kicked and punched as best he could, trying to get free of his grasp, but Freddy was just too strong. It took all the strength he had just to keep him from using those knives to cut his body open. Both of his arms were straining to hold that arm back, while Freddy lifted him up and shoved him against the wall.

Vlad swung out his leg, catching him in the stomach and weakening his grip enough for Freddy to let him go. He ran in the opposite direction, knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape long. _Please… don't let me die, don't let me die._

X X X X X X X X X X

_That was great; can't do research on an empty stomach. _Jack thought as he walked back into the newspaper section of the library. "Hey, V-man, you manage to find anything?" Jack called out, but he didn't hear any response. "Okay, this is weird."

Suddenly, he heard a scream ahead of him. Careless of his own safety, he rushed to the source, realizing what had just happened. He saw Vlad, buried in a pile of newspapers, struggling with an unseen entity. _Oh, no, he must have fallen asleep! I never should have left! _"Wake up, Vlad!" He exclaimed, nudging him gently with his leg, then harder when he friend failed to respond.

Now truly frightened, Jack dived down and pulled Vlad to his feet, slapping him across the face to get his attention. "Help, help…" Vlad screamed, shoving Jack in the chest and falling back to the floor, panting hard. By this time, he had gotten the attention of the other residents who had gathered to see what was going on. "Jack… that's really you?"

"Yeah, you fell asleep." Jack responded. Looking at the confused crowd, he declared: "Don't worry; V-man just had a nightmare! You know how boring this stuff can get!" The crowd slowly dissipated, still giving him suspicious looks.

"Thanks, as if I wasn't mocked enough at school." Vlad complained. He touched his rapidly reddening cheek. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Hey, it was the only way to wake you up!" Jack protested. He then turned far more serious. "Look, I'm sorry I left you. I know we're supposed to stick together, but stupid me, I thought nothing would happen and…"

"Enough, Jack." Vlad cut in before he could start his guilt trip. "Look, I've just realized: I did a report on him about five years ago. This guy's name is Freddy… Krueger, that's it! We need to look at the newspapers dated before 1973."

"Hey, are you guys all right?" Maddie asked. She, Nancy, and Tina jogged up to them, all of them extremely worried.

"Yeah, I just ended up falling asleep." Vlad replied. "Look, we better check the newspaper dating back over ten years."

"You could have been killed!" Maddie told him shrilly, hugging him tightly. "I thought we agreed not to fall asleep! What would I have done if I lost you, Vlad?" She wrapped him tightly in her eyes, as if he would disappear forever if she let him go.

"I'm right here," Vlad tried to reassure. Ordinarily, he'd be glad that she was more willing to show physical affection, all things considered, but under the circumstances, it worried him.

"Hey, here's something." Jack called out. He showed them a newspaper with the headline "Mysterious Fire Claims Life of Child Killer".

"According to this, he killed about twenty children and was freed on some sort of technicality." Nancy stated, her eyes looking over the text. "The photos of the bodies are just… just sick. What kind of person would do something like this?" Nancy visibly shuddered. Jack looked over the information and was equally horrified.

"Yeah, I remember that when I was a little kid, my parents never let me play outside by myself." Vlad remembered. "I screamed, but they looked downright terrified that something was going to happen to me. This… monster is probably the reason."

"I found a book that said that under certain circumstances, an angry spirit can return to wreck revenge on the people who wronged or killed him." Maddie informed. "It's generally some kind of spell, although I don't understand everything the book says on that subject."

"So what does it say about beating him?" Jack wondered.

"Well, it said that the spirit would return once it has achieved what it came for." Tina remarked.

"Since Krueger seems to have come back for our lives, I would suggest another method of getting rid of him." Vlad replied dryly. "Does it say anything specifically about ones that kill in dreams?"

"Hold on, let me see." Maddie muttered, looking through the book. "It states that these are some of the most dangerous and the only way to destroy it is to…" she continued looking through the book. "it doesn't say."

"So it tells us what this thing is, but not how to destroy it?" Tina growled. "Well, that's just great! So what do we do now?"

"We've just got to stay awake until we figure out a way." Nancy insisted.

"That doesn't give us much of a time frame." Vlad pointed out. "Assuming we even manage to stay awake, that only gives us a few days before our brains start going insane. A few days after that, we'll be dead anyway. We're going to need a lot of caffeine."

"Any ideas for stopping him, any at all?" Tina worried.

"This guy is strong, almost superhumanly so, but he's not completely invincible." Vlad informed. "There's got to be a way. We just have to keep looking."


End file.
